Stigma
by EiffiE
Summary: Tomoeda since long corrupted. Justice forgotten. The king rules with injustice yet the Enaidines remain to fight. Could they refine their tainted lives or leave themselves in the discomfort of their 'stigma?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Card Captor Sakura and anything else related to it is obviously not owned by me.

**Plot:**

This story is held in a disorderly situation where the rebels, otherwise known as Enaidines (from the Greek word _enaidos_ meaning underground), had been doing undercover work and schemed against their king who ruled over the entire land of Tomoeda. Syaoran was newly recruited by the rebels' leader who assigned to the boy a very important role equal to his own daughter's. The question now is:

_'Will they succeed and be able to refine their lives OR fail and leave their fates in the discomfort of their stigma?'_

* * *

**Stigma**

* * *

◄Prologue►

The sky was in gloom, as it had always been in since as long as she could remember. Crooked lights flashed behind the clouds that seemed like they would cry on her. But it could be a perfect moment. Yes. She would rather let the rain pour down on her than waste her own tears just like every single time she would visit that place. It was useless anyway...

Her mother was already gone.

Clothed in a long, brown, ragged cloak with its hood hanging behind her back, she stood before her mother's grave in an unpleasant place where all the structures around her were in ruins. They couldn't find a better place to bury her mother's body years ago. They had no other choice but to place her tombstone there, a place she used to call _home_.

It had never been worthy of a name such as _home_… Tomoeda. That was how they perceived of it at every present day of their unfortunately desolated lives. What used to be built in wealth and splendour was now conquered by slums where filthy-smelling rags and garbage scattered everywhere. People covered in grease were helplessly dragged to the ground. Not even an innocent child was spared. More than half of the land now suffered in complete darkness. Only a lucky few were able to continue savouring the riches of Tomoeda. It wasn't a pleasant sight to see at all for no light ever dared to enter that land again… not since HE ruled…

But her life did not use to be like that. Just like the lucky few who lived in riches, their family, who used to serve the king, also lived in peace... until the king twisted his servants' fates. And one of those servants happened to be the girl's father, Fujitaka Kinomoto. She couldn't help but remember that night when their family was chased to death. And their house, that place where she was currently standing, was burned.

And so, there lies her mother, whom she had been so attached to for not very long. Was time unfair for them? Did it purposely run fast for both her and her mother so that they couldn't be together? It was all unfair. And like what her brother had said, _'nothing is fair in this world_'. She thought that she was about to lose all hope that was left of her.

She suddenly felt a light hand on her shoulder. She flinched a bit and abruptly turned her gaze at the man behind her in surprise. He was clothed in the same outfit as hers.

"Sakura?"

As soon as she heard him call her name, it was like all the hate she kept in her heart just simply faded. And she somehow felt a bit calm.

He smiled at her, like he usually would. He had been a good friend to both Sakura and her brother ever since they were little. And at times, she would ask him to accompany her in her 'old home' even though she knew that her brother forbade her to go out there. Yet, Yukito would always do anything for her.

"You don't have to carry it all by yourself. That's why I'm here." He knew. He could always tell the burdens Sakura kept, which she constantly try to mask with a smile on her face. But no matter what she did, he always happened to find a way through her. It was like he was some sort of psychic.

Sakura shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine now, Yukito-san. Thank you."

"Really?" He levelled himself to her small height. Sakura looked into his eyes, as he did into hers. "Your eyes don't say the same thing."

Sakura sighed. It was hopeless to try and hide what she felt from him. She then stared back at her mother's grave. And anguish was beginning to crowd her heart once again.

"It's weird," she uttered while keeping her gaze at her mother's grave. "I can't find myself crying anymore. For the past four years, all I ever feel is hate whenever we would visit this grave."

"I understand. What you are experiencing is not weird. People who would undergo the same situation as yours would probably feel the same. Yet, I have to warn you. It is wrong to hate, Sakura."

She had to agree with him. She knew that what she was doing was wrong. But if you were a normal person, wouldn't you hate everything that deteriorates your life? Or at least, be somehow angry about it? Well, she was.

"You should be happy for her," Yukito smiled at her and looked up at the sky.

Sakura wondered what he was staring at since all that was up there was nothing more but heavy grey clouds. So, she lifted her head up high as well. And she thought,_ 'what could he be smiling at?'_

"We can't see it now, but your mother and my parents are probably already there, shining like the stars," Yukito continued.

Sakura slowly turned her gaze back to him at the sound of his soft voice. "You mean, the _asterion_?" she asked.

Yukito finally looked back at her and nodded. "Precisely. The constellation of souls. My parents used to tell me stories about souls of those who passed away being carried to the heavens, and they all shine at night."

Sakura wanted to believe him but she had always thought that it was nothing but a silly story. Her mother used to tell her the same thing before she lost her. Back then, Sakura would often hear other kids boast the gleam of their families' spirits at night. She would always look up to search for her mother's, but not once had she ever seen her shine… She didn't know if it was just her not believing, or if her mother truly wasn't there.

"Well, we better go back." Yukito put on his hood before pulling Sakura's hood over her head as well. "It looks like it will rain. And your brother might already be looking for you."

"Right," she laughed. She gently held Yukito's arm and attached herself close to him while keeping her hood in place.

"Shall we go now, little miss?" he looked at her and smiled.

Sakura nodded as a response to his kind question and smiled back. And as he escorted her out of this abandoned area of ruins, she slowly appeased her thoughts as she bade her final goodbye to this place. She released all that was left of her hatred in that place. It was about time for her to start anew before returning to their _new_ _home_, in a peaceful valley quite far from the Golden City of Tomoeda.


	2. Chapter 1: Bargain

**Stigma**

* * *

◄Chapter 1: Bargain►

A young man stood in the center of a dark room where only a feeble amount of light could enter. His eyes were blindfolded, and his hands were securely bound behind his back. He did not know exactly where he were. Only the echoing angry voices of men that surrounded him were the only hint that told him that no matter where he was right now, he definitely was _not_ _welcomed_.

It was only a few days ago when he was simply going around the Golden City with his horse, Kero. He was supposed to meet up with a friend in a popular bar but as he was walking around the quiet streets during the night, he noticed a number of shadows that seemed to be following him. He first dealt with it by acting like he noticed nothing, but as the steps behind him came faster than his own, he quickly jumped over his horse and they sped out to get away from his stalkers. As soon as he and Kero turned around a corner, a man jumped out of nowhere and kicked him hard off the horse and he immediately lost consciousness when his head hit the ground. Once he woke up, he was already tied up and blindfolded, and was later brought to that same room where he currently stood.

When the door suddenly opened, the angry noises that surrounded the young man quickly faded. With the room suddenly becoming so quiet, he could clearly hear the footsteps of someone getting closer and closer towards him until the man stopped right in front of him.

"State your name," said by the tall brown-haired man.

The young man could not understand their intentions and what they needed from him. And so, he simply kept quiet and ignored the man. But when he heard the man making a soft chuckle, he suddenly felt a cold sweat slowly starting to envelope his body.

"Very well. Then, how about we play a guessing game?" And the man started slowly walking around him. "If I guess right, you'll have to respond the next time I ask you something." As soon as the man stood right back in front of him, he slowly bent towards him until his lips reached the other's ear and whispered, "Syaoran Li."

The instant that the young man heard his name, he started breathing heavily.

"Judging by the way you're acting, I suppose I should say that I'm correct?"

The young man gulped.

"Well?"

"What do you want with me?!" Syaoran finally shouted.

"It's not really you who we want, but everything you know about the palace."

Syaoran turned his head away. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even live there."

The man frowned. "And I don't believe a word you've said. How do you think we know your name without finding out who you are and what your background is?"

Syaoran merely kept quiet.

In the unknown man's displeasure of how a simple chat was obviously not going swell between them both, he simply sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is going to take longer than I thought," he muttered to himself as he was thinking of other more important things that he had to do that day. "Anyhow," he said and looked back at Syaoran, "I doubt you'd get out of here anytime soon without you giving us what we want. So until you stop being stubborn, I'll have to send you to the cells."

He pointed at two men and ordered them to send the young man to the underground cell. As soon as they brought Syaoran to a small compartment, one of them took off the piece of cloth that was covering his eyes and pushed him to the ground.

"You do know that you have no chance of escaping. If you were smart enough, you would have answered him."

"Nah. Let him die here," said the other person who looked quite bulked. "He's just like any of those goddamn nobles. Thinking too highly of themselves. He's probably gonna want to rot in here rather than give us the info we need."

Syaoran struggled to stand back up, despite his hands still tied, and glared at the two men who were snickering behind him. He kept his mouth shut though his fuming amber eyes already spoke for himself.

"Oh, so you tryin' to look badass, eh?"

"I think he wants to fight," laughed the other. "Alright then." The bulky man cracked his knuckles before lunging towards Syaoran with a strong punch on the stomach.

Syaoran's eyes widened to the tremendous pain he received as he coughed out a little bit of blood. He was about to fall on his knees when the guy immediately grabbed his shirt and pushed him to the wall.

"Hey! Come on, man! You've had enough fun now. We can't kill him here!" The other person standing by the door was nervous. He knew they would get in trouble if anyone else saw what was happening inside the room.

"Shuttup!" the bulked man shouted at him before pouring all his attention right back to Syaoran. "So, how did that feel, pretty boy? Still feeling pretty enough?"

"Yeah." Syaoran smirked as he looked right into the guy's eyes. "At least I don't feel as ugly as your stinking breath."

The man was quickly infuriated by Syaoran's words. He was about to lunge another punch at Syaoran when his hand was suddenly caught by someone behind him.

"I thought I told 'cha to keep out —!" The bulked guy suddenly became terrified when he saw a black haired man with smiling eyes keeping a firm hold of his hand.

"Tsk. Tsk." The guy who suddenly showed up shook his head. "I honestly don't remember hearing Terada-san say that he wants you to leave our guest half-dead." And he also turned to look at the other man who was shaking nervously by the door. "Or is it that you just wanted to kill him?"

The nervous man's throat was tightening up that he couldn't speak out until he tried to swallow in a part of the tense that was taking over his body. "I-I-I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen!"

The black head sighed. As soon as he had let go of the other guy's hand, the two cowards immediately ran out of the room in panic.

Syaoran took in a deep breath and tried to recover from the stress that he had gone through that entire day. He had no idea who the new guy was and why the others were so scared of him but he definitely was thankful that _smiling eyes _came to interfere. He had enough of being pushed around for the day. He then slid his back down against the wall until he was able to sit on the bench that was just beneath him.

"I'm awfully sorry for their mistreatment," the black head humbly apologized. He suddenly pulled out a sharp knife and still carried the smile on both his eyes and lips. "Please allow me to pay for what they had done to you as their senior."

Syaoran quickly panicked as soon as he saw the blade on the other man's hand. _'You've got to be kidding me,'_ he thought to himself. But before the black head could reach him, he hurriedly got up and kicked the wooden bench towards the guy.

The black head was caught in surprise though he thankfully caught the bench with both of his hands before it got the chance to hit his face. But as soon as he put the bench aside, he was immediately pushed back against the wall with Syaoran's foot on his chest.

"Okay, okay!" The man raised his hands up in surrender with a troubled smile on his face. "You're good, I got it. But seriously! I was only going to cut that rope tied around your hands." When he noticed that Syaoran did not seem to be trusting a word he had said, he heavily sighed in defeat. "I guess _we_ don't have any other choice."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow. _'We?'_

He suddenly felt a new presence behind him but before he could act up, he was swiftly hit in the back of his neck. Luckily, the man before him had caught him immediately before he could fall down unconscious.

"Sheesh, Chiharu! That was too much!" the black head shouted at the ponytailed girl who was the reason why Syaoran suddenly fell out cold.

Chiharu crossed her arms and pouted angrily at him. "It's Yamazaki's fault for taking so long. You were supposed to take him to our leader minutes ago!" She then carefully took a closer look at Syaoran and poked on his cold cheeks. "He looks fine. I wasn't too hard on him." She slowly looked up at Yamazaki with a troubled look on her face. "Was I?"

Yamazaki bent down a little to carry Syaoran's body over his shoulder and stood back up. "He'll live, I guess."

◄**O►**

When Syaoran was slowly gaining back his consciousness, he could faintly hear the rainpour from outside and the muffled noises that sounded like they were coming from a quarrelling couple. As he carefully rose up from the bed where he lied, his head still felt a little dizzy that he could barely take a clear sight of where he was right now. But as he repeatedly looked around, he realized that the place he was in looked much like a small room in a village inn.

"God, my head hurts," he muttered. When he was just about to put a hand on his forehead, he suddenly realized that the rope that used to be tied around his hands was already gone.

"Ah, so you're finally awake."

Syaoran searched for the male voice that spoke to him until he saw the same guy who held a blade against him before. He tried to quickly gain back his strength to defend himself when he suddenly lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

Yamazaki snickered quietly. "Take it easy. I won't do anything to harm you." He walked over to Syaoran and helped him get back up on the bed. "You've got your hands free now, don't you? You know, things wouldn't have ended this way if you only listened to me."

"Anyone in his situation would easily get all worked up with you," Chiharu suddenly entered.

Yamazaki turned to her. "Oh, come on. What did I do?"

"You were probably smiling while you were holding your stupid knife," the girl pointed out.

"Oh, so you saw me do that?" the black head asked sarcastically.

"I didn't have to see it to know it. You always looked like that."

Yamazaki sighed. "I was just trying to be friendly."

"Friendly?! You probably looked more like you were excited to kill somebody!"

"And you? For a girl, you sure do have quite the 'killer hand'."

Yamazaki's last statement definitely ticked her off. Chiharu gradually rose her hands as she was getting ready to chase after him and strangle him. "Why you—"

"Now, now. Let's not fight before our guest," a gentle male voice suddenly got in the way of their almost nonstop bickering as he entered the room.

As soon as Yamazaki and Chiharu heard his voice, they were both immediately silenced and they gave way for him to personally see the _special_ _guest_ of the house.

The tall man with brown hair and eyes took the chair that was beside the bed and pulled it a little farther from the windows so that he could sit and take a closer look at the young man seated on the bed across him. The both of them shared a moment of silence as he studied the young man while the latter merely kept his eyes away from the stranger.

"I'm glad that I finally got to meet you, Syaoran Li," the man said and finally broke the silence. "While I was studying your facial features, I noticed that you look very much like your _father_."

Syaoran stayed silent although he became a bit glum after hearing the man's last statement.

"I see that you are not at all surprised to know that I know your father." The man laughed lightheartedly as he pushed his glasses upward on the bridge of his nose. Then, he suddenly bent a little forward and looked a bit more serious despite keeping a gentle smile on his face . "So, what else do you know about me?"

"Just what is it that you really want?" Syaoran finally asked while still trying to avoid eye contact with the man before him.

"No, my dear boy. The question is, 'what do _you_ want?'" The man noticed that Syaoran flinched a bit at his question. "I've heard from Yamazaki that you were able to corner him even though your hands were tied," he took a glance at Yamazaki, "isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes! He's actually very strong! My chest still kinda hurts 'til now." Yamazaki laughed, only to be elbowed by the girl beside him.

The man then returned his attention to Syaoran. "You have skills. I was very sure that you would have gotten away easily but you did not. There must be a reason why you had gone as far as to endure all that. That is why I am going to ask again. _What do you want_?"

Syaoran chuckled quietly before he finally looked back at the man before him. "If you're so smart, why don't you guess it as well yourself?"

Yamazaki and Chiharu were immediately stunned by Syaoran's way of talking back to their leader. It was not only because of how rude it sounded but more specifically, it was because they were afraid of how their leader would react. They both know how kind and gentle the leader was but there were very specific times when one should not abuse the limits of his kindness.

But thankfully, their leader simply laughed back.

"Oh my! You don't only look like your father. You definitely talk like him as well—when he was young, that is," the man noted amusedly as he swept away a tear of laughter from his eye. "But, very well..." He stood from his seat and stood by the windows, watching the rain pour down from the heavy grey skies. "I'm pretty sure that you know by now the reason why I asked my men to get you."

"You want to know how you and your men can infiltrate the palace."

The man looked back at Syaoran and smiled. "Well, that's one."

Syaoran stood up. "And just what makes you think that I will easily give you that piece of information?"

"I will give you what you have come here for but in return, you will have to do as I say. But don't worry! It won't take forever." The man then took off his glasses. "Now," he slowly walked over to Syaoran until he was standing right beside him and whispered to his ear, "is that a fair bargain?" He smiled wittily before pulling away and went straight for the door without waiting for Syaoran's answer, presuming what the young man's reply would be. "Then, for my first request," he stopped and turned to look back at Syaoran, "I'd like you to get someone for me."

◄**O►**

"I'm home!" Sakura shouted cheerfully.

She was dripping wet from the rain when she walked inside a small cottage house in the middle of the woods. She pulled the hood off her auburn hair and after she closed the door behind her, the smile on her face gradually faded. She looked around her home and saw that it was completely furnished with a nice set of wooden furniture and the lovely scent of nature. But no matter how lovely and many these things were, her so-called home still felt so _empty_.

"Onii-chan?" Sakura called. "I'm sorry for coming home so late. I went to visit okaa-san with Yukito."

Normally, _he_ would immediately come at her and scold her for going back outside in the ruins yet again despite knowing that dangerous men could be lurking around the area. _He_ would tell her over and over how irresponsible and careless she was for taking such a risk just so that she could visit their mother's grave every single year. But even so, _he_ would finally hug her and tell her how worried he was and how much he loved her.

But at that day, no one was doing every same single thing to her.

Sakura later walked ahead to drop a basket of flowers on an end table before drooping herself over the couch and lied down facing the ceiling. She sighed as she stared up at the empty space over her head. Despite the empty feelings of the room, her mind was still full of thoughts. She didn't mind how wet her clothes were, nor did she mind that she was already trembling to the coldness of her body. All she ever had thought of was that she felt so _alone_.

Her home was completely quiet, she noticed. In fact, she had noticed this quiet atmosphere four years ago. Since then, her life had completely changed, or has it? All that ever changed was that she was finally living on her own, right? Or maybe, this one change has greatly affected her life that it later turned out that her entire life was already changed.

"Onii-chan..." Sakura dragged a hand to cover her eyes but as soon as she did so, tears were starting to flow beneath that hand. "...I'm home."

Why did she have to be so hard-headed? If she only listened to her brother, nothing would have changed. If she had listened to him, she wouldn't have been chased out by ill-natured men. If she had listened to him earlier, her brother wouldn't have to come out and save her. If only she had listened to him earlier, they wouldn't be cornered at the edge of the cliff and slip off.

And if she was only stronger...

_Her hand was gradually slipping at the edge of the cliff. She kept on struggling to hold on to it but the weight that she had to carry was keeping her from doing so. But she had to! She must! She looked down below and saw her brother who was still struggling to carry himself by holding on to her foot._

_"Hold on, onii-chan! I'll shout out for help—"_

_Her hand was slipping off... slowly... slowly... And another one of that could be the end for the both of them._

_"Sakura!"_

_"Just!" Tears were starting to flow from her eyes. She feared. She wanted to live, not alone, but together with her brother. "Just hold on! I can do it!"_

_"Sakura! Just listen!"_

_"Nooo! I will do it!"_

_"Sakura!"_

_The final time he shouted her name was already an indication that she _must_ listen to him. She slowly looked at her brother as she tried to stop her tears and her fear from overflowing._

_"You have to listen to me and no matter what I say, don't you ever dare go against me." Sakura quietly nodded. "From this day onward, you will have to learn to protect yourself and—"_

_"Stop! Stop it!" she shouted. She did not know what else he was planning to say but she already had a clue as to what it was going to be. And no matter what it was, she didn't want to hear it._

_"Please, Sakura. For once, will you please be a good girl and listen to what I have to say?"_

_She realized that he was right. All that time, she always went against her brother's wishes, thinking that he was too strict with her. Maybe for once... Maybe that was the right time for her to give him a chance to speak up and for her to actually follow him._

_"Sakura, I—" He was cut off when Sakura's hand was slipping again. It was time. He had to do it. For the sake of his sister, he had to do it._

_"Onii-chan! I'm sorry for not listening to you all this time! I really love you!"_

_And time was ticking faster than normal when her hand was already losing the strength to hold on._

_"I love you too." Her brother smiled at her. It was a gentle and comforting smile. And Sakura finally knew. "But forgive me."_

_Before Sakura could protest, she saw her brother let go of her foot. And in her eyes, time suddenly slowed down as she watched her brother falling into the depths as he still carried the same smile on his face._

Sakura had gone back to the present when she heard a few knocks on the door. She sat up on the couch and immediately cleaned her face of her _detestable_ tears. She may not have cried over her mother's grave for the past four years but she did cry for another reason on the same day every year. She would always remember how her selfishness caused her brother's death.

When the door was knocked a second time, Sakura finally stood up and went for the door.

"Who is it?"

She grabbed the door knob and finally opened the door.


End file.
